Abort installation of firmware bundles

ABSTRACT

Examples of aborting installation of a firmware bundle are described. In an example, an abort installation command is received. The firmware bundle includes items, each item corresponding to one of a firmware for a hardware component and a system software component. A first set of items is identified from the items, where the first set of items includes one of an item installed successfully, an item for which installation is under progress, and a combination thereof. A second set of items is identified from the items, where the second set of items is pending installation. A first subset of items is identified from the second set, based on predefined dependency information, where operability of an item from the first set is dependent on an item from the first subset. The first subset of items is installed prior to aborting installation of the firmware bundle.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices, such as computers, include multiple hardwarecomponents programmed with their respective firmware. Firmwareprogrammed on a hardware component of an electronic device providescontrol of the hardware component and enables the hardware component tointeract with other hardware components of the electronic device. Thefirmware may be stored in a non-volatile memory associated with thehardware component. The respective firmware of the hardware componentsmay be updated for fixing bugs, for introducing additional features tothe hardware component, and for version upgrade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The following detailed description references the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for aborting installation of a firmwarebundle, according to an example;

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for aborting installation of the firmwarebundle, according to another example;

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for aborting installation of the firmwarebundle, according to an example;

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for aborting installation of the firmwarebundle, according to another example;

FIG. 5 illustrates a system environment implementing a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium for aborting installation of the firmwarebundle, according to an example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Updating firmware of a system generally includes installation of afirmware bundle in the system. The system may be a computing systemhaving data processing, data storage, and networking capabilities.Examples of the system includes personal computers, servers,controllers, embedded devices, network switches, or the like. The systemmay include different hardware components having dedicatedfunctionality. A hardware component refers to physical, tangible partsof the system, such as a management processor, a central processingunit, a random-access memory, a network interface card, a hard disk, astorage card, etc. Each hardware component may run a respective firmwarewhich controls low-level functioning of the hardware component. Afirmware bundle is a collection of respective firmware of the hardwarecomponents and system software components. The firmware bundle may beinstalled for upgrade of respective firmware of the hardware componentsand the system software components. The system software componentsinclude computer programs that are designed to run a computer's hardwareand application programs. The system software components may be referredto as an interface between the hardware and user applications. In anexample, the firmware bundle may include firmware packages, drivers,agents, and utilities. Firmware bundles may be installed to facilitateupgrading of firmware and system software on servers, controllers, andstorage units.

While installation of the firmware bundle, respective firmware ordrivers of each hardware component of the system may be sequentiallyupgraded. Respective firmware of the hardware components may be arrangedin an order of installation and may be sequentially installed one afteranother, as per the order of installation. When installation of thefirmware bundle is abruptly aborted, before completion, the firmware ofthe components in the system may get corrupt. In some cases, due to theabruptly aborted installation, firmware of one hardware component may beupgraded to a new version whereas firmware of another hardware componentmay remain in an old version. The new version of the firmware may not becompatible with the old version thereby rendering the system inoperable.

For aborting installation of the firmware bundle before completion,generally, a rollback technique may be used. In the rollback technique,when the installation is aborted, all the successfully installedfirmware packages of respective hardware components are downgraded to astate as existed prior to the installation. However, firmware rollbackconsumes processing resource and may be time consuming. Further, in therollback technique, if installation of the firmware bundle is abruptlyaborted during installation of a firmware which is arranged at the lastin the order of installation, firmware of all the components which werepreviously installed successfully, are rolled back. This may furtherincrease processing resource consumption and time consumption for theroll back. Further, when successfully installed firmware of the hardwarecomponents are attempted to be downgraded, the roll back operation mayfail for the firmware of some hardware components. This may cause someof the hardware components of the system to run an upgraded version offirmware while other hardware components of the system may run olderversions of firmware. The upgraded version of a firmware may not becompatible with the older version of another firmware thereby renderingthe system inoperable.

Further, in another technique, hard disks of systems may have multipleflash partitions. A firmware bundle installation may be performed on astandby flash partition. Once the installation is completed, the standbyflash partition may be made active. This technique of using a standbypartition for installation of a firmware bundle may be used for embeddeddevices and network switches. However, enterprise servers and System onChip (SoC)-based devices may not have flash partitions. Further,enterprise servers may include hardware components manufactured bydifferent vendors which may not allow firmware bundle installation in astandby flash partition. Also, firmware bundle installation using aflash partition may consume substantial amount of storage space of thesystem. Manufacture of systems with greater storage space may increasemanufacturing costs.

The present disclosure facilitates in aborting installation of afirmware bundle without adversely affecting the system's operability.According to the present disclosure, an abort installation command maybe received by a system while installation of a firmware bundle is underprogress. The firmware bundle includes a plurality of items. Each of theplurality of items correspond to one of a firmware for a hardwarecomponent of the system and a system software component. Installation ofthe firmware bundle in the system refers to processes carried out fortransfer of computer readable instructions corresponding tofirmware/drivers of respective hardware components of the system ontomemory associated with the respective hardware components, so that theinstalled firmware/drivers are ready for execution.

From the plurality of items included in the firmware bundle, a first setof items is identified. The first set of items includes one of an iteminstalled successfully, an item for which installation is underprogress, and a combination thereof. After installation of an item iscomplete, the item is referred to as a successfully installed item andan item for which installation is being processed when the abortinstallation command is received is referred to as a current installingitem. In an example, when the abort installation command is received, ifthere are no successfully installed item(s), the first set of items mayinclude the current installing item. A second set of items is identifiedfrom the plurality of items, where the second set of items is pendinginstallation. An item for which installation has not been initiated andwhich is queued for installation when the abort installation command isreceived, is referred to as an item pending installation.

A first subset of items is identified from the second set of items,based on predefined dependency information. The predefined dependencyinformation is indicative of operational dependency between theplurality of items, where operability of an item from the first set isdependent on an item from the first subset of items. The first subset ofitems is installed prior to aborting installation of the firmwarebundle. After, the first subset of items is installed, the installationof the firmware bundle may be aborted. Aborting installation of thefirmware bundle refers to termination of the processes related todeployment of the firmware bundle in the system without the firmwarebundle being completely deployed in the system.

Since, according to the present disclosure, the first subset of items onwhich the successfully installed item(s) and the currently installingitem are dependent, gets installed before aborting the firmware bundleinstallation, therefore, the successfully installed item(s) and thecurrently installing item remain functional even after the installationis aborted. Thus, according to the present disclosure, the firmwarebundle installation may be aborted before completion without hamperingoperability of the successfully installed item(s) and the currentlyinstalling item. As the successfully installed item(s) and the currentlyinstalling item remain functional, the system remains operational evenafter installation of the firmware bundle is aborted before successfulcompletion.

This may allow in reducing downtime of the system during a maintenanceactivity. Further, during a maintenance activity, when installation of afirmware bundle consumes more time than planned, such installation maybe aborted without adversely affecting the operability of the system.Further, in a scenario where a datacenter encounters a networkconnectivity issue or a power outage, a running installation of afirmware bundle in a server may be aborted according to the presentdisclosure while maintaining the operability of the server. Further,when accidentally a firmware bundle which is incompatible for a systemis used to upgrade the firmware of the hardware components of thesystem, the present disclosure may enable aborting installation of theincompatible firmware bundle while maintaining the operability of thesystem. Since, the system remains operable even after abruptly abortingan installation of a firmware bundle, additional overhead expenses onresource personnel for repairing the system may also be reduced.

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar parts.While several examples are described in the description, modifications,adaptations, and other implementations are possible. Accordingly, thefollowing detailed description does not limit the disclosed examples.Instead, the proper scope of the disclosed examples may be defined bythe appended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for aborting installation of a firmwarebundle, according to an example. The system 100 may be a computingsystem having data processing, storage, and networking capabilities.Examples of the system 100 include personal computers, enterpriseservers, network switches, embedded systems, controllers, SOC-baseddevices, or the like.

The system 100 includes a processor 102 and a memory 104 coupled to theprocessor 102. The memory 104 stores instructions executable by theprocessor 102. The instructions when executed by the processor 102 maycause the processor 102 to initiate installation of a firmware bundle.The firmware bundle includes a plurality of items. Each item correspondsto a firmware for a hardware component of the system 100 or a systemsoftware component of the system 100.

Examples of the hardware component include a management processor, acentral processing unit, a random-access memory, a network interfacecard, a hard disk, a storage card, etc. The firmware bundle may includefirmware associated with each of the hardware components. Examples ofsystem software components include device drivers which control specificdevices, such as a keyboard or a mouse, that are attachable to thesystem 100, system utility tools, such as disk defragmenter and systemrestore, and development tools such as compilers and debuggers. In anexample, when installation of the firmware bundle is initiated, theitems included in the firmware bundle may be arranged in a sequentialorder in an installation queue. The installation queue maintains a listof the items which are pending installation.

While the installation of the firmware bundle is under progress, theinstructions when executed by the processor 102 may cause the processor102 to receive an abort installation command from a user or systemadministrator. In an example, the abort installation command may berepresented by a user input from a user or system administrator, wherethe user input indicates that the installation of the firmware bundle isto be aborted.

After, the abort installation command is received, the instructions whenexecuted by the processor 102 cause the processor 102 to identify afirst set of items from the plurality of items included in the firmwarebundle. The first set of items includes one of an item installedsuccessfully, an item for which installation is under progress, or both.

Further, the instructions when executed by the processor 102 cause theprocessor 102 to identify a second set of items from the plurality ofitems, where the second set of items is pending installation. The secondset of items which are pending installation and are arranged in theinstallation queue may also be referred to as items staged forinstallation.

Further, the instructions when executed by the processor 102 cause theprocessor 102 to identify a first subset of items from the second set ofitems, based on predefined dependency information. The predefineddependency information is indicative of operational dependency betweenthe plurality of items, where operability of an item from the first setis dependent on an item from the first subset of items. According to thepredefined dependency information, hardware components of the system 100are able to run the firmware or drivers included in the first set ofitems after the first subset of items are installed in the system 100.The predefined dependency information may include a functionalcorrelation between the first set of items and the first subset ofitems. In an example, the predefined dependency information is stored asa dependency list in a firmware image of the firmware bundle. Thefirmware image is a binary executable file that may contain instructionscorresponding to firmware of hardware components of the system 100. Thefirmware image may be installed for upgrading a firmware version of thehardware components of the system 100. In an example, the dependencylist may be stored as a metadata file in one of an Extensible MarkupLanguage (xml) file format, a JavaScript Object Notation (json) fileformat, and a Text (txt) file format.

Further, the instructions when executed by the processor 102 cause theprocessor 102 to install the first subset of items prior to abortinginstallation of the firmware bundle. Thus, the first subset of items, onwhich operability of the successfully installed item(s) and thecurrently installing item are dependent, are installed before abortinginstallation of the firmware bundle. After installation of the firstsubset of items, the instructions when executed by the processor 102cause the processor 102 to abort the installation of the firmwarebundle. With the present disclosure, since, the successfully installeditem(s) and the currently installing item remain functional, the system100 also remains operational after installation of the firmware bundleis aborted before completion.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200, for aborting installation of a firmwarebundle, according to an example. In an example, the system 200 may be anenterprise server in a datacenter, a network switch, an embedded device,and a SoC-based computing architecture.

The system 200 includes the processor 102 and the memory 104 coupled tothe processor 102. The memory 104 stores instructions executable by theprocessor 102. The processor 102 may be implemented as microprocessors,microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, centralprocessing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and any devicesthat manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among othercapabilities, the processor 102 is configured to fetch and executecomputer-readable instructions stored in the memory 104. Thecomputer-readable instructions, also referred to as instructions,includes instruction(s) 202. The instructions(s) 202 may includeroutines, programs, components, applications, data structures, and thelike, which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstractdata types. The instructions, being executable by the processor(s), mayalso be referred to as processor-executable instructions. The executionof the instructions to perform a function may be interchangeablyreferred to as the instructions causing performance of the function orthe instructions enabling performance of the function.

The functions of the various elements shown in the FIG. 2, including anyfunctional blocks labeled as “processor(s)”, may be provided through theuse of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executingsoftware. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided bya single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by aplurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared.Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” should not be construedto refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and mayimplicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP)hardware, network processor, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) forstoring software, random access memory (RAM), non-volatile storage.Other custom-built hardware, may also be included.

The memory 104 may include any computer-readable medium known in the artincluding, for example, volatile memory (e.g., RAM), and/or non-volatilememory (e.g., EPROM, flash memory, etc.). The instruction(s) 202 includeitem identification instruction(s) 204 which corresponds to instructionsstored on a computer-readable medium and executable by a processor toidentify the first set of items, the second set of items, the firstsubset of items, the second subset of items, and the third subset ofitems. The instruction(s) 202 also comprise other instruction(s) 205that supplement applications on the system 200, for example, executionof functions of an operating system.

Data 208 serves, amongst other things, as a repository for storing datathat may be fetched, processed, received, or generated during executionof the instruction(s) 202 by the processor 102. The data 208 includesinstalled items data 210 which stores data relating to firmware ordrivers from the firmware bundle which are successfully installed,pending items data 212 which stores data relating to firmware or driversfrom the firmware bundle which are pending installation, and dependencydata 214 which stores data relating to operational dependency betweenfirmware/drivers of one hardware component and firmware/drivers ofanother hardware component. The system 100 also comprises other data 216that may be fetched, processed, received, or generated during executionof other instruction(s) 206.

Consider that installation of a firmware bundle is under progress in thesystem 200. The firmware bundle may include items corresponding tofirmware or drivers for hardware components of the system 200. In anexample, installation of the firmware bundle may be initiated byexecuting a firmware image. During installation of the firmware bundle,each item is sequentially arranged in an installation queue and based onthe sequence in the installation queue the items are installed one afteranother. Once an item gets successfully installed, the item may beremoved from the installation queue or may be flagged as a successfullyinstalled item. An item for which installation is under progress mayalso be flagged in the installation queue as a currently installingitem. In an example, the installation queue maintains a list of itemswhich are pending installation.

The items in the firmware bundle may be operationally dependent on oneanother. For example, a firmware/driver of component A may beoperationally dependent on a firmware/driver of component B. In theexample, for execution of the firmware/driver of the component A, thefirmware/driver of component B is to be programmed in the component B.Operational dependency between the items in the firmware bundle may beindicated through predefined dependency information. The predefineddependency information may be stored as a dependency list in a metadatafile within the firmware image. The metadata file may be maintained inone of an Extensible Markup Language (xml) file format, a JavaScriptObject Notation (json) file format, and a Text (txt) file format.

During installation of the firmware bundle, an abort installationcommand may be received by the system 200. In an example, the abortinstallation command may be a user input from a user/administrator.After receiving the abort installation command, the item identificationinstruction(s) 204 when executed by the processor 102, cause theprocessor 102 to identify whether installation of the firmware bundle iscompleted. In an example, the item identification instruction(s) 204 maycause the processor 102 to check whether an update successful messagehas been generated by the firmware image. If the update successfulmessage is generated, then it is identified that the installation of thefirmware bundle is successfully completed. If the update successfulmessage is not generated, then it is identified that the installation ofthe firmware bundle is under progress. When it identified thatinstallation of the firmware bundle is successfully completed, theinstallation may be safely aborted.

When it is identified that installation of the firmware bundle is underprogress, the item identification instruction(s) 204 enableidentification of a first set of items from the items included in thefirmware bundle. The first set of items includes one of a successfullyinstalled item, an item for which installation is under progress, and acombination thereof. In an example, if there are no successfullyinstalled item(s), the first set of items includes the item for whichinstallation is under progress when the abort installation command isreceived. Further, the item identification instruction(s) 204 causeidentification of a second set of items from the items included in thefirmware bundle, where the second set of items is pending installation.In an example, the item identification instruction(s) 204 causes theprocessor 102 to fetch the installation queue to obtain a list of thesuccessfully installed item(s), the currently installing item, anditem(s) pending installation. In an example, the successfully installeditem(s) and the currently installing item are grouped in the first setof items. Item(s) pending installation are grouped in the second set ofitems.

Further, execution of the item identification instruction(s) 204 by theprocessor 102 causes the processor 102 to determine whether anoperational dependency exists between the first set of items and thesecond set of items, based on the predefined dependency information.When it is determined that the first set of items are operationallyindependent of the second set of items, the item identificationinstruction(s) 204 enable aborting installation of the firmware bundle.

When it is determined that an operational dependency exists between thefirst set of items and the second set of items, the item identificationinstruction(s) 204 cause identification of a first subset of items fromthe second set of items, based on the predefined dependency information.The first subset of items is identified such that operability of an itemfrom the first set of items is dependent on an item from the firstsubset of items. Thus, the first subset of items includes items whichare pending installation and on which the successfully installed item(s)or the currently installing item is operationally dependent.

After identification of the first subset of items, the itemidentification instruction(s) 204 cause identification of a secondsubset of items from the second set of items, based on the predefineddependency information. The second subset of items are identified suchthat operability of the first set of items is independent of the secondsubset of items. Thus, the second subset of items includes items whichare pending installation, while the successfully installed item(s) orthe currently installing item are operationally independent of thesecond subset of items. The item identification instruction(s) 204enable deletion of the second subset of items from the installationqueue.

In an example, the item identification instruction(s) 204 enableidentification of a third subset of items from the second set of itemsbased on the predefined dependency information, such that operability ofan item from the first subset of items is dependent on an item from thethird subset of items. Thus, the third subset of items includes itemswhich are pending installation and on which an item from the firstsubset of items is operationally dependent. In an example, the thirdsubset of items, may be identified by analyzing the predefineddependency information.

After the third subset of items is identified, the item identificationinstruction(s) 204 enables installation of the currently installingitem. After the currently installing item is installed successfully, thefirst subset of items is installed followed by the third subset of itemsbeing installed. After the third subset of items is installed, the itemidentification instruction(s) 204 are executed by the processor 102 thatcauses the processor 102 to abort installation of the firmware bundle.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 for aborting installation of a firmwarebundle, according to an example. The method 300 may be executed by asystem, such as the system 100 or 200. The method 300 can be implementedby processing resource(s) or computing device(s) through any suitablehardware, a non-transitory machine readable medium, or combinationthereof. In an example, step(s) of the method 300 may be performed byexecution of computer-readable instructions, such as the itemidentification instruction(s) 204, which includes instructions stored ona medium and executable by a processing resource, such as the processor102, of a system, such as the system 100 or 200. Further, although themethod 300 is described in context of the aforementioned system 100 or200, other suitable systems may be used for execution of the method 300.It may be understood that processes involved in the method 300 can beexecuted based on instructions stored in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable mediummay include, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media, suchas a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or opticallyreadable digital data storage media.

Referring to FIG. 3, at block 302, an abort installation command isreceived while installation of a firmware bundle is under progress in asystem, such as the system 100 or 200. In an example, the abortinstallation command may correspond to a user input provided by auser/administrator of the system. The abort installation commandindicates that installation of the firmware bundle is to be aborted. Thefirmware bundle includes a plurality of items. Each of the plurality ofitems correspond to one of a firmware for a hardware component and asystem software component. The operability of an item in the firmwarebundle may be dependent on another item in the firmware bundle. Forexample, the firmware bundle may include a firmware update for ahardware component A and a firmware update for a hardware component B.The firmware update for the hardware component A may be operationallydependent on the firmware update for the hardware component B. Suchinformation of operational dependency between the items of the firmwarebundle may be indicated through predefined dependency information. Thepredefined dependency information may be stored as a dependency list ina firmware image of the firmware bundle, where the firmware image is forupgrading of a firmware version. In an example, the dependency list maybe stored as a metadata file in one of an Extensible Markup Language(xml) file format, a JavaScript Object Notation (json) file format, anda Text (txt) file format.

At block 304, a first set of items is identified from the plurality ofitems included in the firmware bundle. The first set of items includesone of an item installed successfully, an item for which installation isunder progress, and a combination thereof. At block 306, identifying asecond set of items from the plurality of items. The second set of itemsinclude items pending installation. In an example, the second set ofitems may be arranged in a sequential order in an installation queuewhich maintains a list of items which are pending installation.

At block 308, a first subset of items is identified from the second setof items, based on the predefined dependency information, such thatoperability of an item from the first set of items is dependent on anitem from the first subset of items. At block 310, the first subset ofitems is installed prior to aborting installation of the firmwarebundle.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for aborting installation of a firmwarebundle, according to an example. The method 400 may be executed by asystem, such as the system 100 or 200. The method 400 can be implementedby processing resource(s) or computing device(s) through any suitablehardware, a non-transitory machine readable medium, or combinationthereof. In an example, the method 400 may be performed bycomputer-readable instructions, such as the item identificationinstruction(s) 204 which includes instructions stored on a medium andexecutable by a processing resource, such as the processor 102, of asystem, such as the system 100 or 200. Further, although the method 400is described in context of the aforementioned system 100 or 200, othersuitable systems may be used for execution of the method 400. It may beunderstood that processes involved in the method 400 can be executedbased on instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readablemedium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include, forexample, digital memories, magnetic storage media, such as a magneticdisks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digitaldata storage media.

Referring to FIG. 4, at block 402, installation of a firmware bundle maybe initiated. The firmware bundle includes items which are firmware fora hardware component of the system or a system software component, suchas a device driver. An item of the firmware bundle may be operationallydependent on another item of the firmware bundle. Operational dependencyof the items may be predefined in a dependency list which provides apredefined dependency information. The installation of the firmwarebundle may be initiated by executing a firmware image. In an example,the predefined dependency information may be stored in the firmwareimage. During installation of the firmware bundle, the items aresequentially arranged in an installation queue which maintains a list ofitems which are pending installation. The items are installed one afteranother based on the sequence in the installation queue.

While the installation is under progress, an abort installation commandis received from a user/administrator of the system, at block 404. Atblock 406, it is checked whether the installation of the firmware bundleis complete. In an example, the installation queue may be analyzed todetermine whether the installation is complete.

If the installation is incomplete, a first set of items is identified,at block 408 (“No” branch from block 406) from the items of the firmwarebundle. The first set of items includes an item installed successfully,or an item for which installation is under progress, or both.

At block 410, a second set of items is identified from the items in thefirmware bundle. The second set of items is pending installation. Atblock 412, it is checked whether an operational dependency existsbetween the first set of items and the second set of items, based on thepredefined dependency information. When it is determined that the firstset of items are operationally independent of the second set of items,installation of the firmware bundle is aborted.

When it is determined that an item from the first set is dependent on anitem from the second set, a first subset of items is identified from thesecond set of items, based on the predefined dependency information, atblock 414. Operability of an item from the first set is dependent on anitem from the first subset of items.

After the first subset of items are identified, at block 416, a secondsubset of items may be identified from the second set of items, based onthe predefined dependency information, such that operability of thefirst set of items is independent of the second subset of items. Atblock 418, the second subset of items are deleted from the installationqueue.

At block 420, a third subset of items is identified from the second setof items based on the predefined dependency information, such thatoperability of an item from the first subset is dependent on an itemfrom the third subset of items. At block 422, installation is completedfor an item for which installation is currently under progress. At block424, the first subset of items is installed. At block 426, the thirdsubset of items is installed. After successful installation of the thirdsubset of items, the installation of the firmware bundle is aborted, atblock 428.

FIG. 5 illustrates a system environment 500 implementing anon-transitory computer-readable medium for aborting installation of afirmware bundle, according to an example. In an example, the systemenvironment 500 includes processor(s) 502 communicatively coupled to anon-transitory computer-readable medium 504 through a communication link506. In an example, the system environment 500 may be a system, such asthe system 100 or 200. In an example, the processor(s) 502 may have oneor more processing resources for fetching and executingcomputer-readable instructions from the non-transitory computer-readablemedium 504.

The non-transitory computer-readable medium 504 can be, for example, aninternal memory device or an external memory device. In an exampleimplementation, the communication link 506 may be a direct communicationlink, such as any memory read/write interface.

The processor(s) 502 and the non-transitory computer-readable medium 504may also be communicatively coupled to data sources 508 over a network,such as the Internet. The data sources 508 can include, for example,memory of the system, such as the system 100 or 200.

In an example implementation, the non-transitory computer-readablemedium 504 includes a set of computer-readable instructions which can beaccessed by the processor(s) 502 through the communication link 506 andsubsequently executed to perform acts for aborting installation of afirmware bundle.

Referring to FIG. 5, in an example, the non-transitory computer-readablemedium 504 includes instructions 510 that cause the processor(s) 502 toreceive an abort installation command while installation of a firmwarebundle is under progress. The firmware bundle includes a plurality ofitems, each of the plurality of items corresponding to one of a firmwarefor a hardware component and a system software component. The items maybe operationally dependent on one another. The firmware bundle mayinclude predefined dependency information indicative of operationaldependency between the items. In an example, the predefined dependencyinformation may be stored as a dependency list in a firmware image ofthe firmware bundle, where the firmware image is for upgrading of afirmware version.

Further, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 504 includesinstructions 512 that cause the processor(s) 502 to identify a first setof items from the items included in the firmware bundle. The first setof items includes one of an item installed successfully, an item forwhich installation is under progress, or a combination thereof.

The non-transitory computer-readable medium 504 includes instructions514 that cause the processor(s) 502 to identify a second set of itemsfrom the items included in the firmware bundle, where the second set ofitems is pending installation. Further, in an example, thenon-transitory computer-readable medium 504 includes instructions thatcause the processor(s) 502 to determine whether an operationaldependency exists between the first set of items and the second set ofitems, based on the predefined dependency information. When it isdetermined that the first set of items are operationally independent ofthe second set of items, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 504includes instructions that cause the processor(s) 502 to abortinstallation of the firmware bundle.

When it is determined that an item form the first set of items isoperationally dependent on an item from the second set of items, thenon-transitory computer-readable medium 504 includes instructions 516that cause the processor(s) 502 to identify a first subset of items fromthe second set of items, based on the predefined dependency information,such that operability of an item from the first set is dependent on anitem from the first subset of items.

In an example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 504 includesinstructions that cause the processor(s) 502 to identify a second subsetof items from the second set of items based on the predefined dependencyinformation, after identifying the first subset of items. Operability ofthe first set of items is independent of the second subset of items. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium 504 includes instructions thatcause the processor(s) 502 to delete the second subset of items from theinstallation queue.

In another example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 504includes instructions that cause the processor(s) 502 to identify athird subset of items from the second set of items based on thepredefined dependency information, such that operability of an item fromthe first subset is dependent on an item from the third subset of items.

The non-transitory computer-readable medium 504 includes instructions518 that cause the processor(s) 502 to install the item for whichinstallation is under progress. Further, the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium 504 includes instructions 520 that cause theprocessor(s) 502 to install the first subset of items prior to abortinginstallation of the firmware bundle. After the first subset of items isinstalled, the installation of the firmware bundle may be abortedwithout adversely operability of the system.

Although implementations of present subject matter have been describedin language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to benoted that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to thespecific features or methods described. Rather, the specific featuresand methods are disclosed and explained in the context of a fewimplementations for the present subject matter.

We claim:
 1. A method for aborting installation of a firmware bundle,the method comprising: receiving an abort installation command whileinstallation of the firmware bundle is under progress, the firmwarebundle comprising a plurality of items, each of the plurality of itemscorresponding to one of a firmware for a hardware component and a systemsoftware component; identifying a first set of items from the pluralityof items, wherein the first set of items includes one of an iteminstalled successfully, an item for which installation is underprogress, and a combination thereof; identifying a second set of itemsfrom the plurality of items, wherein the second set of items is pendinginstallation; identifying a first subset of items from the second set ofitems, based on predefined dependency information, the predefineddependency information indicates a functional correlation between thefirst set of items and the first subset of items and is indicative ofoperational dependency between the plurality of items, whereinoperability of an item from the first set is dependent on an item fromthe first subset of items and wherein the predefined dependencyinformation is stored as a dependency list in a metadata file within afirmware image of the firmware bundle; after identifying the firstsubset of items, identifying a second subset of items from the secondset of items, based on the predefined dependency information, whereinoperability of the first set of items is independent of the secondsubset of items; deleting the second subset of items from aninstallation queue, wherein the installation queue maintains a list ofitems which are pending installation; and installing the first subset ofitems prior to aborting installation of the firmware bundle.
 2. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: aborting installationof the firmware bundle after the first subset of items is installed. 3.The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: prior toidentifying the first subset of items, determining whether anoperational dependency exists between the first set of items and thesecond set of items, based on the predefined dependency information; andaborting installation of the firmware bundle, when it is determined thatthe first set of items are operationally independent of the second setof items.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:identifying a third subset of items from the second set of items basedon the predefined dependency information, wherein operability of an itemfrom the first subset is dependent on an item from the third subset ofitems; and installing the third subset of items prior to abortinginstallation of the firmware bundle.
 5. The method as claimed in claim1, further comprising: installing the item for which installation isunder progress, prior to installing the first subset of items.
 6. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firmware image is forupgrading of a firmware version.
 7. The method as claimed in claim 6,wherein the dependency list is stored as a metadata file in one of anExtensible Markup Language (xml) file format, a JavaScript ObjectNotation (json) file format, and a Text (txt) file format.
 8. A systemcomprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, thememory storing instructions executable by the processor to: identify afirst set of items from a plurality of items included in a firmwarebundle on receiving a command to abort installation of the firmwarebundle while the installation is under progress, each of the pluralityof items corresponding to one of a firmware for a hardware component ofthe system and a system software component, wherein the first set ofitems includes one of an item installed successfully, an item for whichinstallation is under progress, and a combination thereof; identify asecond set of items from the plurality of items, wherein the second setof items is pending installation; identify a first subset of items fromthe second set of items, based on predefined dependency information, thepredefined dependency information indicates a functional correlationbetween the first set of items and the first subset of items and isindicative of operational dependency between the plurality of items,wherein operability of an item from the first set is dependent on anitem from the first subset of items and wherein the predefineddependency information is stored as a dependency list in a metadata filewithin a firmware image of the firmware bundle; after identifying thefirst subset of items, identify a second subset of items from the secondset of items, based on the predefined dependency information, whereinoperability of the first set of items is independent of the secondsubset of items; delete the second subset of items from an installationqueue, wherein the installation queue maintains a list of items whichare pending installation; install the first subset of items; and abortinstallation of the firmware bundle after the first subset of items isinstalled.
 9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor isfurther to: prior to identifying the first subset of items, determinewhether an operational dependency exists between the first set of itemsand the second set of items, based on the predefined dependencyinformation; and abort installation of the firmware bundle, when it isdetermined that the first set of items are operationally independent ofthe second set of items.
 10. The system as claimed in claim 8, whereinthe processor is further to: identify a third subset of items from thesecond set of items based on the predefined dependency information,wherein operability of an item from the first subset is dependent on anitem from the third subset of items; and install the third subset ofitems prior to aborting installation of the firmware bundle.
 11. Thesystem as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor is further to:install the item for which installation is under progress, prior toinstalling the first subset of items.
 12. The system as claimed in claim8, wherein the firmware image is for upgrading of a firmware version.13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the dependency list isstored as a metadata file in one of an Extensible Markup Language (xml)file format, a JavaScript Object Notation (json) file format, and a Text(txt) file format.
 14. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising computer-readable instructions, the computer-readableinstructions when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:receive an abort installation command while installation of a firmwarebundle is under progress, the firmware bundle comprising a plurality ofitems, each of the plurality of items corresponding to one of a firmwarefor a hardware component and a system software component; identify afirst set of items from the plurality of items, wherein the first set ofitems includes one of an item installed successfully, an item for whichinstallation is under progress, and a combination thereof; identify asecond set of items from the plurality of items, wherein the second setof items is pending installation; identify a first subset of items fromthe second set of items, based on predefined dependency information, thepredefined dependency information indicates a functional correlationbetween the first set of items and the first subset of items and isindicative of operational dependency between the plurality of items,wherein operability of an item from the first set is dependent on anitem from the first subset of items and wherein the predefineddependency information is stored as a dependency list in a metadata filewithin a firmware image of the firmware bundle; after identifying thefirst subset of items, identify a second subset of items from the secondset of items, based on the predefined dependency information, whereinoperability of the first set of items is independent of the secondsubset of items; delete the second subset of items from an installationqueue, wherein the installation queue maintains a list of items whichare pending installation; install the item for which installation isunder progress; and install the first subset of items prior to abortinginstallation of the firmware bundle.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein thecomputer-readable, when executed by the processor, further cause theprocessor to: prior to identifying the first subset of items, determinewhether an operational dependency exists between the first set of itemsand the second set of items, based on the predefined dependencyinformation; and abort installation of the firmware bundle, when it isdetermined that the first set of items are operationally independent ofthe second set of items.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumas claimed in claim 14, wherein the computer-readable instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, further cause the processor to: identify athird subset of items from the second set of items based on thepredefined dependency information, wherein operability of an item fromthe first subset is dependent on an item from the third subset of items;and install the third subset of items prior to aborting installation ofthe firmware bundle.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium asclaimed in claim 14, wherein the firmware image is for upgrading of afirmware version.